Home Heat
Maybe more important than food is environmental heat. Snow and ice storms happen when it gets cold. When you lose power, you will likely also lose heat, unless you are one of a small percentage of Americans with wood. I have had wood heat and I really miss it…and I hope to have it again. You will need some sort of electricity-independent power. There are a couple of heaters that I have used and can personally recommend.
The first is the kerosene heater. These are very reliable, very safe heaters. I have one, along with about ten gallons of kerosene (it is not pictured here because I loaned it to a family with small children who did not have an alternative heat source). They are low-pressure systems, but require filling the tank periodically, which can be messy, and they can be a bit smelly. A few gallons a fuel will heat a small space (say, a blocked off living room) for a few days if not run constantly.
The other heater I have experience with is the indoor-safe Mr. Buddy propane family of heaters. I used a small version of these heaters when I lived in the van. Like the Coleman stove, these run off 1-pound canisters, but the a high-pressure adapter will let you use grill-sized 25-pound tanks. These heaters are very safe, but be sure to follow all manufacturer’s guidelines.
Safety: Importantly, follow all manufacturer’s instructions! Never leave these heaters unattended. Keep them away from flammable items like carpet. Do not place flammable items on top of these stoves (blankets, clothing, books/magazines, etc.). Keep them at least three feet from walls and furniture, or more if recommended by the instructions. Store fuel well away from heaters, and preferably outside. ALWAYS use a carbon monoxide detector when these are in use! Carbon monoxide is deadly, and it is odorless and tasteless. Ensure you have smoke alarms in place, as well as fire extinguishers. Remember what I said earlier about first responders having to travel the same road conditions you are trying to avoid? It may take them a long time to get there, so use utmost caution to avoid having a problem!
One other thing to note about these heaters: they aren’t intended to keep your home at a roasty toasty 76 degrees. They are meant to keep it livable, say at 60 degrees. This is not terribly comfortable, but your fuel will go much, much further if you keep this in mind. Rather than running the heat full-blast with the intent of heating your whole home, or heating a space to an unreasonable degree, bundle up. Keeping your body warm with hats, gloves, sweaters, and blankets is much easier than heating your whole house.
Light
Finally, when the power goes out you will need a source of light. I am assuming you already have your EDC flashlight, so you aren’t completely helpless here (and if you’re like me there are flashlights all over your house). However, you will need an ambient light source for your house. The Streamlight Siege is a compact, AA-powered lantern that I used quite a bit during Hurricane Helene. The Super Siege is quite a bit more expensive, but much brighter (1100 lumens vs 500) and a bit larger, and is rechargeable. It would probably be better suited to larger spaces than the compact Siege. Headlamps are far easier to use than handhelds, so I would have a few of these on hand, too, as well as batteries to feed them.
Entertainment
This doesn’t seem like an important category, but boredom will get you into trouble. Plan for some electricity- and internet-free forms of entertainment. For me entertainment is a few books. I usually keep a few books in the queue on my Kindle, and I have a whole shelf of books in my house that I haven’t read…just in case. For you, it may be something else – a portable, battery-operated DVD player, puzzles, games for the family, etc. Be ready to be content for a couple of days (at least!) without leaving.
Medications & First Aid
I know first hand that running an ambulance in snow and ice is difficult. Response times are delayed. Sometimes calls are just held until conditions improve. During Helene some EMS agencies suspended operations for a period of several hours due to very legitimate crew safety concerns. Also, every call that you don’t have to make is one fewer times crews have to risk their lives on the road, and one less person to worry about so they can focus on other calls. I’m absolutely not saying don’t call if you need them, but realize that even if you do call, they may be hours – not minutes – away.
You should have some basic first aid items and the know-how to use them. I have written about basic first aid kids and a more advanced home first aid kit. These items are great to have, but without the skills to use them they won’t do you much good, so GET SOME TRAINING! You should also have some over the counter clinical medications to treat common ailments. Remember, you probably won’t be able to run out on a whim and grab whatever you need. Stay tuned for an article on the medications you should consider stocking in your home for emergency purposes. In addition to OTC stuff, you should make sure you have at least a week’s supply of an prescription medications.
Since help will likely be delayed in getting to you, it’s probably a good time to take it easy and avoid unnecessary risks. It’s probably not the time to take up chainsaw art. And for that matter, you should probably keep alcohol consumption to a minimum.
Operating During The Storm
The basic principle you want to operate with once the storm hits is to keep everything as ready as possible in case you lose power.
Charging Batteries: Before the storm hits, get everything charged up. Before these last two storms I made sure to charge my phone, my AirPods, and my portable battery pack. Since it can also be used to charge other devices, I made sure my Mac was fully charged, as well. I wanted all of these items at peak functionality prior to losing power. Once your items are charged, you should keep them charged, since you never know when you will lose power. Though it is good to exercise your batteries, keeping them on the charger for a few days isn’t going to have a huge adverse affect on them. I made a point to never let my phone drop below 80%.
